Your Pretty Plate: Infusing Food with Flowers
Ryan Miller
| 3 min read
Flowers are a go-to when it comes to giving gifts and decorating your home, but they can also dress up your favorite recipes.
Whether used in a salad, decorative drink or main dish, there are many flowers you can incorporate into your diet. With spring on the way, here are some flowers that will add a pop of color and fun to your favorite drinks and dishes:
- Hibiscus flowers Hibiscus – The colorful hibiscus flower is commonly used in teas and makes a perfect warm-weather drink. Hibiscus can also be eaten straight from the plant or applied to jams, salads and even relishes! Hibiscus is known for its medicinal properties – it can positively impact your blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Lavender Lavender – This aromatic flower is known for its calming scent, but did you know it can be used for a variety of healthy, edible treats? The violet flower can be used in baked goods, herbal teas and spice rubs. It also pairs well with chocolate, citrus and berry flavors. This yummy recipe uses lavender honey.
- Honeysuckle Honeysuckle – The fragrant honeysuckle flower (there are over 200 species) are filled with nectar that can be eaten right from the plant. Honeysuckle is commonly used in teas or as a flavorful syrup. You can use the syrup as a sugar substitute in beverages, quick breads, yogurt and ice cream. Note: Some berries of the honeysuckle plant may not be safe to eat.
- Borage flowers Borage – With a distinct cucumber-like taste, the star-shaped borage flower is commonly used in salads, fillings or as a drink garnish. It best pairs with your favorite lemonade or cocktail beverage, but you can even pickle or cook them like you would greens.
- Rose Roses – We commonly think of roses as the ultimate romantic gesture, but did you know that you can eat them, too? With over 150 types of roses, not all roses taste great. However, a good tip to find the best-tasting rose is by making sure it smells good. The floral and lightly sweet ingredient can be used in salads, jams, jellies, drinks and even granola bars.
- Pansies Pansies – The small, vibrant arrangement of pansies may be beautiful to look at and they’re also good enough to eat. Pansies can be used as decorative garnishes for desserts or you can chop some up to use as a healthy salad addition. The colorful flowers are also known to carry anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Like this post? Here are some flower-related articles to check out:
Photo credit:
Main image: Rocky89; Hibiscus: Marina Indova; Lavender: Remedios; Honeysuckle: Multiart; Borage: naturaltexture; Roses: Sergey Sidorov; Pansies: esolla
